Sunday at Ko Kret

Island excursions usually conjure memories of exotic resorts with palm-fringed beaches, blue skies and sparkling seas. But the island of Ko Kret in Nonthaburi Province is different. It's not exactly a far away paradise from Bangkok where you can build castles in the sand or run your imagination wild.

Instead, it is a tiny island in the Chao Phraya River where you can experience extraordinary cultures and traditional food sensations on a small budget. And it's only a short distance from downtown Bangkok .

Ko Kret is an ideal Sunday excursion _ although it also welcomes visitors on weekdays _ because that's when all the shops are open and the whole island is abuzz with activity.

Most of the island's residents are descendants of ethnic Mons who migrated from southern Burma and settled in Ko Kret several generations ago. I had the pleasure of speaking to some of them on my recent visit and found them to be sincere and helpful people who were prepared to answer your questions if you asked them properly.

Some of them, especially older people, can still speak the Mon language but the generation born here preferred to speak in Thai.

But unlike the Mon language, the younger generation hasn't lost none of the pottery-making skills for which Ko Kret has earned a name. Its residents make everything from jars, pots, mortar and pestle, food containers, lamps, cups and utensils, and almost every other household item, which they make from a type of clay that's unique to the island.

I was even invited by pottery makers to visit their factories. The Ko Kret Pottery Village there is a major tourist attraction and a monument to Mon craftsmanship.

The most impressive aspect of Ko Kret, especially to me, was the variety of smorgasbord it had to offer visitors. Locals sell food at stalls reminiscent of vendors in Bangkok do, but there the dishes seemed more enticing, unique and tasty.

The must-try item, "Nor Kala" deep-fried cakes, was similat to "Tod Man" _ the traditional Thai fish cake. Nor Kala is a kind of vegetable that's mixed with fish to produce the cakes.

The good thing is that it's available everywhere on the island and every vendor invites you to take a bite, whether you buy from them or not, it doesn't matter. Deep-fried flowers and chicken in noodle balls were other interesting items. For 20 baht, you can go for a single item or ask for mixed deep-fried snacks.

If you don't fancy roadside vendors and prefer the comfort of restaurants, go to Gan Chan. There are an awful lot of dishes to choose from, including the traditional Mon dish "Khao Chae" or jasmine-scented rice in iced water served with a combination of savoury treats.

Every item is ridiculously cheap compared to other tourist spots. Khao Chae cost 30 baht a bowl, so did "Khanom Chin" _ rice noodles with Thai-style dressing.

Next I went sightseeing. My transport was a 90-seat ferry that charged 50 baht per person and made stops at five interesting spots around the island, one of them being Khlong Khanom Wan, a canal famous for serving up delectable traditional Thai desserts.

The other was Baan Khun Aell which apart from the desserts, also offered cooking demonstrations. Here, the items may be a tad costly but they are worth the price.

One advise for visitors to Ko Kret is that they must choose a clear day to travel there because they need to walk around to get a true feel of the island and its Mon culture.

Conversely, they can hire bikes and pedal around, and if they feel tired they can call the rental service to come and pick them up.

To get to Ko Kret, make your way to Wat Klang Kret pier in Nonthaburi. From there boats leave at regularl intervals for Pa Fai pier on Ko Kret. They charge a nominal fee of two baht per passenger.

Bangko Post September 2005 www.bangkokpost.com